Pahalgam Terrorist Attack

The entire nation is in a state of great shock and grief due to the dastardly terrorist attack that has led to the unfortunate deaths of the innocent tourists who had arrived to witness the beauty and serenity of Pahalgam in Kashmir. But fell to the bullets of the enemies of Kashmir who don’t want the restoration of peace and normalcy in Kashmir. More than twenty five people have lost their lives in this inhuman act and several people are injured. The exact count of the people who have lost their lives will be ascertained once the official figures come out. Terrorists have been waiting desperately to create the fear psychosis in Kashmir after the successful Parliamentary and Assembly Elections. They had failed so far to orchestrate an attack of bigger magnitude in Kashmir after the neutralisation of Article 370 and 35A due to the vigilance and alertness of the security personnel. Meanwhile, in order to remain relevant the terror modules gave the semblance of their presence by targeting the Jammu region. Rajouri witnessed the ambushes in which the army was engaged by the terrorists for longer periods. And this terror spread to the Kathua district of the Jammu region, leading to the killings of the innocent people. The Rising Kashmir has been analysing the intent and modus operandi of the terror modules in Jammu region keeping in view its ramifications for the entire Jammu and Kashmir. The Rising Kashmir has repeatedly stressed the need to overhaul the approach to deal with terrorism guided by the ideological intent to destabilise Jammu and Kashmir. It has always been underlined repeatedly that the security and safety of the minorities is of paramount interest to make peace sustainable in Kashmir. Not only that return and rehabilitation of the religiously cleansed Kashmiri Pandits can be enabled only by a conviction oriented policy that addresses the causes of their internal displacement. Policy of compulsion by linking the Kashmiri Pandit return to employment will not yield the dividends. What has happened in Pahalgam must make the heads roll in the security establishment and the intelligence agencies must put their heads together. What is happening in Jammu and Kashmir is not only due to the melting of snow and opening of the passes that makes infiltration easy for the Pakistan patronised and trained terrorists. It is more than that. The continued terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir besides the unfortunate carnage of the tourists at Pahalgam is a well-orchestrated response of the forces who want to balkanise India. The mainstreaming of Jammu and Kashmir after the neutralisation of Article 370 and 35 A has unnerved Pakistan. This was evident the day it was done. The desperate reactions of the Pakistani establishment to this internal issue made it clear that Pakistan will act to catalyse more terror in Jammu and Kashmir. The issuance of the domicile certificates to the people from the rest of India did not go down well with the patrons of terror, which they considered as their defeat. During the Pahalgam carnage, the terrorists checked the identity of the victims before ending their lives. This must enable the security agencies to decode the enemy mind set. Just a few days ago, Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir invoked the Two Nation Theory that resulted in the creation of Pakistan asking Pakistanis to tell their children the stark differences between Hindus and Muslims that was the basis for Pakistan’s creation. General Asim Munir substantiated this theory of hatred by saying, “Our forefathers believed that we were different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life. Our religion is different. Our customs are different. Our traditions are different. Our thoughts are different. Our ambitions are different… That was the foundation of the Two-Nation Theory. It was laid on the belief that we are two nations, not one.” This statement must be analysed keenly as it demonstrates the policy premise of the Pakistani military establishment towards India that took the secular path of nation building. It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan’s Jammu and Kashmir policy is guided by the military junta and its ISI. It is a no secret that the terrorist groups that operate in Kashmir are trained and ideologically guided by the war mongers of Rawalpindi. It is no surprise that within a few days of General Munir’s speech that a gruesome terrorist attack has claimed numerous lives at Pahalgam. The radical ideological indoctrination of the religious radicals and their handling by the subversive patrons within Jammu and Kashmir is the root cause of Pahalgam like carnages .Kashmir has witnessed worst massacres like Wandhama, Nadimarg and many more challenging the might of the Indian state. Time has come to devise a comprehensive policy to defeat the nefarious designs of the enemies of the nation once for all. The need is to impose a heavy cost for the enemy so that it thinks twice before orchestrating such acts of genocidal attrition. The Prime Minister has taken the serious note of the Pahalgam carnage and asked the Home Minister to deal with it. Let us hope that this time there will be a national security doctrine in place to defeat terrorism once for all. So that Kashmir is not held hostage to terrorism and violence.